A new centre for Complexity Science

How a new centre for Complexity Science at the University of Warwick is hoping to shed light on some of the most complex systems around us.

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• complexity
• science
• warwick
• university

[hollange1]

@Ontonix There are a number of complexity measures, mostly originating from information theory. Given a stream of data, like a time series or an image, they quantify its complexity. Some of them nicely capture the intuitive notion that both a very regular as well as a completely chaotic behaviour is NOT complex, whereas a structured but not completely ordered one is complex. The fluctutation complexity of Bates and Shepard is one good example, or Crutchfield's epsilon complexity.

[1ProbablyHateYou]

@Sharkwhisperer the distinction you draw seems to be blurred. many "hard" sciences use a lot of qualitative evidence along with the quantitative as well as more an more "soft" sciences are using quantitative evidence, especially psychology. I think the line slides more often than not.

[Sharkwhisperer]

Mathematics versus narratives? I choose for narratives, qualitative research. Hard science without soft science can hardly be called science.

[Sharkwhisperer]

this is a very positivist idea. Not all that matters can be measured. And not all that is measured, matters.

[Ontonix]

Can you MEASURE the complexity of a corporation with this approach? Or that of a hospitalized patient? Can you MEASURE the complexity of an air-traffic system and quantify its distance from a state in which it is fragile? This is the kind of quantitative work we do with complexity but, obviously, using a non-traditional approach.

[Ontonix]

Science gets serious when you begin to measure. "Complexity science" has not been able to even produce a definition of "complex", not to mention a measure of complexity. So, there is a science of complexity but how do you measure it?

[otonanoC]

Complexity science is grounded in the mathematics of Chaos Theory and the science of Thermodynamics. A system whose information is near a critical phase boundary will exhibit scale invariance. This is testable with a mathematical operator called the Renormalization Group.

It is not mysticism. It is not hot air. It is not pseudo-science. It is a real, testable, falsifiable, concrete science.

[vjpillay]

Complexity science is not psedo science but from my thoughts on these type of problems for more than 3 decades ago and wrote a decade ago that adoptive complex system being developed at santa fe institute in new mexico.

at the core it is multidisciplinary approach and if an engineer with scientific and social science discipline with mathematical and use of computing better chance of leading the task.I have books written on this by Per Bek,Highfied,Gell-mann M.chaos,non-linear dynamics.

[ravnar101]

Reply to: EUREKO27: 1+1 =2 That is logic. But on paper, in front of a computer, as you see it .... In nature it does not make sense. 1 apple + 1 apple = ? An apple is composed of atoms?

[vonmoneski]

yes and no your probably rite in yr assumption and yet one plus one can be what ever u want it 2 be in yr case 2 in mine 2,3,5,7,11 the science of logic is only as contained as one would have it, becoming apart of a wholesome understanding knowledge learning etc takes time and time takes one into a holistic veiw of that which we are unable to fully comprehend...........